"When
you listen to the Mu'adhdhin, say as he says, then send blessings
upon me. Who so ever sends blessings upon me once, Allah sends upon
him ten mercies. Then ask Allah to grant me intercession, which
is a station of paradise granted to only one servant and I feel
that I will be the one for that. So whoever asks for me to be granted
intercession, my intercession will become permitted for him."
(Sahîh Muslim, 1/166)

This
Hadith shows that those listening to the adhân, should repeat
the words of the mu'adhdhin. Say "Hayya `alaS-Salâh"
and "Hayya `alal-falâH" when the mu'adhdhin says
so or say "lâ Hawla wa lâ quwwata illâ billâh"
which is according to another Hadith. It would be better to do both
so that both Hadiths can be acted upon.

From
this, it has been established that sending durûd upon the
Holy Prophet (saw) after the adhân and before du`â has
been ordered by him and is a sunnah. The Hadith elaborates that
durûd should be sent first and then du`a be made to ask Allah
to grant him intercession.

Abû
Hurayrah (radiyallâhu `anhu) relates that the Holy Prophet
(saw) said: "Any good words which are not started with the
remembrance of Allah and salutations being sent upon me are pointless
and devoid of all blessings (barakah)." (Ibn al-Qayyim, Jalâ'ul-Afhâm,
p. 365)

Adhân
are good words and so sending durûd upon the Prophet (saw)
before it is established by this saying of the Holy Prophet (saw)
himself. Not only that, but this also shows that it is rewarding.

`Allâma
Ibn Qayyim in his famous book, "Jalâ'ul-Afhâm"
wrote a chapter about the times when durûd and salâms
should be sent: "the sixth occasion when durûd should
be sent upon the Holy Prophet (saw) is after the mu'adhdhin is heard
giving the adhân and before the iqâmah" (Ibn Qayyim
Jalâ'ul-Afhâm, p. 308)

`Allâma
Imâm Hâfiz Sakhâwî (r) in his famous book,
"al-Qawlul-Badî`" has also written a chapter: Chapter
5: Specific times when durûd should be sent (al-bâbul-khâmis
fiS-Salawât `alayhi fî awqâtin makhSûsah).
In there, he states: "After the mu'adhdhin is heard giving
the adhân" and "during and after salât and
when establishing it." This `Allâma Imâm Hâfiz
Sakhâwî (r) states: "with the adhâns of the
five times prayers - before the adhâns of the Fajr, Jumu`ah
and Maghrib prayers and there is a difference of opinion about sending
salât and salâm after the Zuhr, `Asr and `Ishâ'
adhâns." "Is this mustahab (commendable), makrûh
(disliked), a bid`a (innovation) or Mashrû` (according to
Shrî`ah)? For it being mustahab one somply has to use the
words
of the Qur'ân: 'do virtuous acts' which everyone knows. Undoubtedly,
reciting salât and salâm is (a
virtuous act) and a means to come close to Allah.

There
are many Hadiths mentioned in the sections of du`â which give
the details of the merits of sending salat and salam. Regarding
sending durud after the adhan, in the last portion of the night
or close to Fajr time, is in reality a bid`a Hasana (good innovation)
and the one doing this with a good intention will get rewards for
it." (Sakhâwî, al-Qawlul-Badî`, p. 193)

It
is sad that in our time, some people prevent us from doing this,
telling us that it is a bid`a even
though the Hadith mentioned above commands us to do it. Also, in
most of the Arab countries, they recite: "as-salâtu was-salâmu
`alayka yâ rasûlallâh" before and after the
adhân. This servant [`Allâma Muhammad Shafî` Owkarwî
(r)] has himself witnessed and written down in my book, "Râh-e-`Aqidat"
of this being done in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan etc. This
used to be done in Makka Mukarrama and Madina Tayyiba before the
coming of the Najdî government.

Qutb-i-Rabbâni
Hadrat Imam `Abdul-Wahhâb Sha`rânî (`alayhi rahmatur-rabbânî)
states: "kâna fî ayyâmir-rawâfiDî
bi miSri shara`ut-taslîma `alal-khalîfati wa wu zarâ'ihî
ba`dal-adhâna ilâ an
tuwuffiyal-Hâkim bi'amrillâhi wa wallaw ukhtahû
fasallamû `alayhâ wa `alâ wuza râ'ihâ
minan-nisâ'i
falammâ tawalal-mulkul-`âdil SalâHud-dîn
inbi ayyûb fa'abTala hâdhihil-bad`a wa amaral-mu'adhdhinîna
biS-Salâti wat-taslîmi `alaa rasulillâhi Sallallâhu
`alayhi wa sallam badala tilkal-bid`ata wa amara bihâ ahlul-amSâra
wal-qurâ' fa jazâ'ahullâhu khayran." "In
the days of the Rawâfid[1] rulers, in Egypt the law stated
that salâm was to be sent upon the khalîfa of the time
and his governors after the adhan. When Ruler, Bi-Amrullâh
died and his sister became ruler,
salâm had to be sent upon her and her female governors. But
when the righteous sultan, Salâhuddîn Ayyûbî
(r) became leader, he removed this bid`a (reprehensible innovation)
and replaced it with the order for the mu'adhdhins of every city
and district to send salât and salâm upon the Holy Messenger
(saw). Allah
reward him with good for doing this."
(`Abdul-Wahhâb ash-Sha`rânî, Kashful-Ghumma, p.
98)